Abstract
A practical approach of calculating the ultimate strength of composite beams with unreinforced web opning is proposed through shear behavioral tests. In this method, the slab shear contribution at the opening is calculated as the smaller value of the pullout capacity of shear connector at the high moment end and the one way shear capacity of slab. A simple interaction equation is used to predict the ultimate strength under simultaneous bending moment and shear force. Strength prediction by the proposed method is compared with previous test results and the predictions by other analytical methods. The comparison shows that the proposed method predicts the ultimate capacity with resonable accuracy.
